


Holding Out For a Hero

by Ryuuto



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - My Hero Academia Fusion, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Disturbing Themes, I'm probably not gonna hold back too much on some disturbing descriptions of creatures, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-02 09:05:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19195810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryuuto/pseuds/Ryuuto
Summary: In a world where each generation, more and more people are born with superhuman powers known as quirks. Sometimes, those born with quirks become heroes or villains. Sometimes, they just use their quirks to live ordinary lives.Yuuri Katsuki would definitely fall under the hero category, perhaps to the surprise of many. Donning the hero name Azure Wolf, he hopes to prove himself as a hero worthy of being equal to Iceheart, the world's number one hero and his idol. He may get his chance to do so when he's invited to join a project for the International Heroes Alliance as a representative of Japan.However, he soon gets the feeling that something big is going on. Something that's prompted the IHA to gather heroes together other than an attempt to promote world peace. Yuuri only hopes he's wrong about that.





	1. Yuuri

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh, this is my very first YoI fanfic and the first multichap I've written in a long time! I'm not sure how often I'll be updating as of yet, but I plan to make it at least once a month. I will say that prior knowledge of My Hero Academia isn't necessary!
> 
> This chapter isn't as polished as I would've liked, but I'm really excited to put this out there so I'm just gonna go for it and hope for the best! Leave me kudos and / or a comment if you enjoyed!
> 
> As a note, I'll be adding quirk and hero information at the end of a chapter, usually some time after we meet them. Yuuri is a special case, so his won't appear for a couple chapters.

Sometimes, Yuuri wished he had a normal schedule or a mundane job like everyone else. It wasn’t all bad being a hero, granted, but nobody could blame a guy for a selfish wish when he was stuck tracking down a villain through a sewer system in Hasetsu. The only thing that made him feel better was the thought of a nice, long shower and burning his hero clothes at the end of this. It wouldn’t be the first time he had to burn his hero clothes. The business wasn’t exactly glamorous, and sometimes he couldn’t scrub away the bloodstains to make them less noticeable.

“God, why did it have to be a _sewer?!_ This is my favorite costume, Azure!”

He couldn't help a small smile at that. Scratch that, the only thing making this tolerable was that his best friend, Phichit, was suffering with him. Though, he did feel a little bad to make his friend work while technically on vacation.

“Not my fault that you didn’t take that into account, Snapshot.”

Azure Wolf and Snapshot. They were a hero duo that was starting to become semi-famous, though Yuuri was sure that it was all because of Phichit’s popularity. Phichit never passed up an opportunity to stream or take selfies while on the job, and he was almost always on social media talking to his fans as well as Yuuri’s fans. Still, it _was_ a fact that if anyone teamed up with Azure Wolf, it was going to be Snapshot. After all, the two of them trained together to become heroes, so they knew how to work with each other.

Yuuri shook his head to try putting a stop to his idle musing, effectively ignoring Phichit whining in response. He made a sweep of the area in front of them with his flashlight and brown eyes gave a critical look to their surroundings.

“It’s weird, though,” the Japanese man said with a slight frown. “Doesn’t the guy have a fire quirk?”

That, at least, got Phichit’s attention back on their mission. Yuuri could hear the frown in the Thai man’s voice, though he couldn’t see it under his friend's Daft Punk-esque helmet.

“Yeah, some kinda fire manipulation, but only if there’s an existing flame.”

He chewed on his lip before glancing over at the other man. Despite the poor lighting, Phichit’s costume somehow managed to stand out in the darkness. Really, it was more like a combination between sensible and flashy armor, almost reminiscent in style to Kamen Rider. The main color of the armor was gold, but there were accents of red along his helmet, gloves, and boots. His undershirt and leggings were a pristine white, though Yuuri was sure that they wouldn’t remain so for very long. Phichit’s helmet, though, was his pride and joy. It was styled to be reminiscent of a hamster, complete with two bumps that were in the shape of small ears. All in all, it was a more memorable hero outfit than Yuuri’s own.

Yuuri preferred to stick to the shadows and keep out of the spotlight, though lately he’d been failing at that latter part. As such, his hero outfit tended to reflect that desire for anonymity. Tonight, he was wearing dark blue clothes that obscured his body and made him look more androgynous. He wore a mask, as always, and it was shaped to resemble a wolf. It was a slate blue color with dark grey markings around the eyes, “ears,” and mouth. Clipped to a black, leather belt on either hip was a pair of chakrams. His prized, signature weapons were about the only elaborate thing he allowed, quite frankly. The one on his left was styled to resemble lightning shooting out of a storm cloud. The other had been created to bring to mind a blizzard sweeping across the landscape, making the metal of the blade look more fluid and graceful.

Only Phichit knew the reason behind the two different styles, and he was sworn to best friend secrecy on that front.

“So, the obvious question is…why would a fire user come into a sewer?”

His companion made a soft sound and shrugged a little, though he kept a tight hold on his phone.

“I dunno, but it’s probably not a nice surprise.” Then, apropos of nothing, Phichit added, “Like, say, a meet-and-greet with Iceheart.”

“ _Phichit!_ ”

Predictably, heat rose to Yuuri’s cheeks and he was thankful that his friend wasn’t streaming at the moment. He really didn’t want the fans to know that he had a crush on the number one hero in the world, especially if there was a chance it would reach Iceheart’s ears.

“What?” he asked, innocently. “I’m just saying—”

Phichit cut himself off abruptly and looked tense. Yuuri tensed as well, though he wasn’t quite sure why for a brief second. His eyes narrowed as he focused his flashlight on a spot of water that seemed to be bubbling, and those bubbles seemed to be getting closer to the pair.

“Snapshot….”

Without saying anything, his friend brought out his phone and started the stream. He had to hand it to the other man: he knew how to stay cheerful and calm in the face of danger.

“Hey, everyone! Welcome to the horror show! What’s the horror, you ask? Other than the fact that I’ll never get the stench off of my costume, it seems like we’ve got unexpected company while chasing after a villain.”

At that moment, whatever was in the sewer water burst forth and towered above the two heroes. Yuuri’s eyes widened while Phichit shouted some expletive in Thai on seeing it. The creature looked like living sewer slime, but there was something…wrong about the coloring. It almost looked like flesh.

“ _Gross!_ It's like a Jell-O flavor for Hannibal!” Phichit exclaimed, sounding a little sick.

As if taking resentment to that remark, the living slime sent tendrils of the hardened substance straight at the duo. They managed to dodge it nimbly, but Yuuri could see cracks and holes from where the tendrils had been. Slipping into a familiar calm, determined state, he equipped his chakrams and ran towards the towering slime. He prayed it was enough to activate his quirk, since it hinged so strongly on his mental and emotional state.

Yuuri dodged the tendrils coming at him with the grace and showmanship of a professional dancer. In retaliation, he threw his blizzard chakram through them to give Phichit a clear path and yanked his weapon back to his hand on the thin, steel cord it was attached to. The slime retracted the stubs of its tendrils, but reconstituted them almost immediately while the ends turned back to harmless sewer sludge. Well, ‘harmless.’

“Hope you’ve got something in your album to deal with slime, Snapshot!”

“I’m still working on it! Too many amusement park pics!”

Yuuri almost retorted, but he found himself having to do a tricky maneuver to get out of the way of a pillar of slime aimed right at him. He had a feeling that getting into the water itself would be an instant game over.

Abruptly, the pillar exploded. The black-haired hero yelled, both in surprise and pain from the force of it. He jumped back, but the damage was done. Half of his mask had been destroyed and something was in that putrid slime to act like shrapnel. If it wasn’t a horrible bruise left behind, then it was a pretty sizable cut. Yuuri took a moment to check over his injuries, but luckily it didn't seem anything was embedded in his skin. Still, he was going to need to check himself into a hospital after this.

“Azure! Are you okay?!”

He looked up and was about to let his friend know he was fine, but the words died in his throat. It looked like fireworks were going off inside the slime, and it was illuminating what appeared to be a human body. However, that human body was twisted and wrong, as if it was being contorted while slowly digested.

Yuuri let out an expletive of his own in Japanese, beyond horrified by what _that_ could mean. He was sure he was going to see that in his nightmares.

The slime reared back, like a giant serpent ready to strike at him, when there was suddenly a rhino barreling into the creature. That seemed to start off a volatile chain reaction and Yuuri barely had time to shout a warning for his friend to take cover. He, himself, ran around the corner as there was a sudden _explosion._ It was like a bomb went off, causing the whole place to shake and rubble to fall from the ceiling and walls where the epicenter had been. After waiting for what felt like an eternity, the aftershocks faded and he felt it was safe to peek around the corner.

There was nothing left of the slime quirk user, other than a body that was in the middle of the sewer water. Cautiously, Yuuri walked out and looked for Phichit, placing his weapons back to their positions on his hips.

“Snapshot?”

As he rounded the corner to where he last saw his friend, Yuuri couldn’t stop himself from gaping in astonishment. There, right in front of his eyes, was an honest-to-god _wall_ of hamster plushies in various sizes. They slowly started fading like a burning photograph, revealing Phichit behind the wall somewhat unharmed. He waved at Yuuri, pointing his phone camera at him.

“And that, dear audience, was my pride and joy! The wall of hamsters!” Phichit must be grinning widely underneath his helmet. “Now, Azure Wolf and I are gonna apprehend the villain, so keep an eye out on the news. So long and remember! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

He turned the camera back on himself and gave a peace sign before turning off the stream. Phichit pocketed his phone as he joined Yuuri. Without waiting much longer, the two heroes approached the place where the body was, which still hadn't moved. Yuuri had to swallow thickly as trepidation made his scalp tingle.

They stopped at the edge of where the concrete meets the sewer water. The pair looked at each other and had a silent argument. Finally, Phichit sighed dramatically and stepped into the water. He complained loudly about how gross it was as he walked closer and closer. When he finally reached the body, he paused like he was steeling his nerves. Then, the Thai hero used his foot to push the body onto its back.

Phichit swore softly before calling out.

“Yuuri? I found our fire quirk villain.”

His friend grabbed the person under the armpits and dragged him over to the concrete. Yuuri could tell right away that their mark was dead. The way his body was twisted and had telltale signs of slow digestion made him think it was not a quick death. Nor was it painless. He knelt down after Phichit hefted the body up onto the concrete.

“Jesus…This isn’t what I’d wish on my worst enemy.” Yuuri squinted, seeing something catch off Phichit’s flashlight, courtesy of his phone. He reached down and gingerly picked up what appeared to be an empty vial. “What’s this?”

“I dunno, but I think we better take that over to HQ. Something’s not right.”

With a nod, the black-haired man slipped it into a pouch on his belt. He looked around, then, to see if there was anything left of that slime thing, but he didn’t see any trace of it. Yuuri gave his friend a worried look.

“Phich…have you ever heard of a quirk user like that slime thing we saw before?”

Phichit hummed as he did a quick Google search on his phone. After a moment, he shrugged a little, but something about the gesture made him think that his friend was a bit unnerved.

“I mean, sometimes there’s an amorphous quirk? But those are pretty limited, and they never act like that thing did. It was almost like…it was a creature all by itself, but no human intelligence?”

They were both silent at that. Neither of them liked to think of what _that_ could possibly mean. Still, Yuuri had the distinct feeling that this wasn't going to be the last time they saw something like this.

He stood up and sighed, giving a small smile to his friend.

“Well, I guess we should get the authorities in here to do the rest of the work. You want me to make the call this time?”

Phichit snorted.

“What, and give you access to all the photos of you that I _know_ you wanna delete from my phone? Heck no.” There was amusement in Phichit’s tone, though. “I’ll give ‘em a call, but _you,_ my crazy friend, need to go to the hospital before all those wounds get infected!”

Yuuri managed a more genuine and warm smile at that.

“Alright, alright, mom. But you do the same, okay? I know you at least got burned back there with that explosion.”

Still, he waited until the police arrived before taking his leave with a couple of paramedics. He just didn’t feel right leaving Phichit alone in the sewers after what they just went through.

Besides, Yuuri had a lot to think about on the way to the hospital.

——

By the time Yuuri got home, he was under strict orders to change his bandages regularly and to take a heavy-duty antibiotic for the next couple of weeks. With luck, perhaps he could avoid the worst parts of infection. As it was, he just wanted to burn his destroyed costume, take a shower, and sleep like the dead.

Sadly, that night, only two of those things happened.

He put his smelly, damaged costume into a garbage bag and took it out with the rest of their trash. Yuuri even got to take a very indulgent shower, since nobody else in the household was up at one in the morning. It was as he booted up his laptop to check his emails that he suddenly got a text. He blinked as he checked to see that it was from Phichit.

 **Peaches**  
_HOLY SHIT YUURI CHECK YOUR EMAIL!!!!_

_OMG GET HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL SOON_

_THIS IS KILLING ME_

_YUURI_

_YUURI!!!!!!!!_

The black-haired man blinked slowly as he put his phone to the side and signed into his email account. At first he wasn't sure what he was looking for, up until he saw a little further down from the spam mail. His eyes widened in disbelief as he saw one from the Japanese Hero Federation and another from the International Heroes Alliance. Clutching tightly to his mouse, Yuuri opened the one from the JHF.

_Dear Yuuri Katsuki,_

_We at the Japanese Hero Foundation would like to congratulate you on your nomination to join the International Heroes Alliance as the hero representing Japan. It is a great honor and we as a nation are proud to stand behind you as the hero who best represents the citizens of Japan. Below, we have included plane tickets to the headquarters of the International Heroes Alliance. There is also an itinerary attached for your review. Further information will be provided by an email correspondence from the International Heroes Alliance._

_As always, thank you for all that you have done on behalf of Japan._

_Atsu Akagane  
Chairwoman of the Japanese Hero Federation_

Yuuri had to re-read it twice in order for it to sink in. He was honestly very confused. Of all the heroes in Japan, _he_ was the one who got chosen for whatever the IHA wanted? Yet, there was the plane ticket that went from Japan to Switzerland, right in a pdf. Thinking there must have been a mistake, he clicked out of the email and opened the one from the IHA.

_Dear Yuuri Katsuki, aka Azure Wolf,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been cordially invited to represent Japan as part of a new heroic initiative at the International Heroes Alliance. This project has many goals to achieve, and we wish to attain these goals with you as part of this very first step. The details of the project will be given after you arrive at the headquarters with the other representatives for each country. However, we can disclose the very basics of these goals so that you are aware of what might be asked of you._

_First, we wish to promote friendly relations between all countries by encouraging teamwork among each nation’s top hero. Second, we wish for the teamwork and friendship fostered in this program to be of benefit to not only your home country, but the whole world over. Third, we hope that the success of this project could potentially help assemble a specialized team of heroes to aid other heroes in large-scale threats. For example, natural disasters that require more aid than local heroes can handle._

_The Japanese Hero Federation has already been contacted regarding this invitation. They will be providing you with a travel itinerary and the means of travel. All expenses will be paid by the International Heroes Alliance, including further travel, lodging accommodations, food, and any special needs that each individual requires._

_Again, we thank you for your participation and we are looking forward to speaking more with you soon._

_With regards,_

_The International Heroes Alliance_

He frowned a little. That sounded less like an invitation and more like it was already decided for him. He was also starting to feel an odd mixture of excitement and anxiety. Perhaps this was a mistake? They couldn’t have possibly sent this to _him_ of all people. Not when he had such a specific and somewhat unreliable quirk.

Yuuri picked up his phone and texted his best friend back.

**Peaches**

_I just got told to go to IHA HQ???_

_Am I even awake or is it the antibiotics kicking in because  
this feels like a hallucination._

_Yuuri omg_

_If you’re dreaming then I’m dreaming too and that’s just not possible at this point_

_We both know that your dreams contain one hot Russian hero and I’m def not Russian_

_…_

_I think I’m not Russian anyway???_

_Maybe I should check on Ancestry???????_

_Focus, Phich!_

_Wait a minute, are you saying you got chosen as Thailand’s rep?_

_I DID AND I’M DYING YUURI_

_I’m not even surprised you’re Japan’s!_

_Wait_

_YUURI_

_HOLY SHIT YUUUUUUURIIIIIIII_

_omg Phichit breathe_

_ICEHEART IS MOST LIKELY THE REP FOR RUSSIA_

Yuuri stared at that with wide eyes. Traitorously, he glanced over at his posters of Iceheart, the most popular hero in the world and the reason he went into the hero business himself. There was a good reason he was popular, too. Not only was Iceheart an exemplary hero who would help the people by doing charities to battling super villains, he was a highly talented figure skater in his youth. He never used his quirk in figure skating competitions, but instead used his figure skating in battle against villains. It definitely made him stand out, especially when Iceheart skated a battle to _Let It Go_ after the media tried to make fun of him for looking like Queen Elsa. Sometimes, a hero had to be petty in order to make a point.

Still, the comparisons weren't unwarranted. Iceheart had short, silver hair with bangs that fell over one eye. His eyes were a bright, piercing blue-green that Yuuri was _sure_ the photos could never truly capture. The man’s hero costume definitely took shameless inspiration from the Disney Queen, but that was only a recent development.

His hero suit was skintight and a pretty aqua color, but it faded in a gradient to white as it got closer to his chest and shoulders. Iceheart’s shirt was a scoop-neck and his sleeves ended in a point that connected around his ring fingers. The white fabric of his shoulders and sleeves was sheer, decorated with snowflakes that was subtly embroidered along the fabric. Each snowflake had a small crystal in the center of it, making him look flashy at a distance, but an intricate work of art up close. Iceheart never bothered with a mask, but he did adorn his wrists with gold bracelets shaped like lightning bolts. Even his dark grey belt had a pattern that made it look more like a storm cloud than fabric.

Perhaps the most fascinating part of Iceheart's hero outfit was his boots. They were sleek and sturdy, but they had the interesting quality of conducting his quirk so that he can create blades. The blades he made were made out of either ice or electricity, depending on the situation and his mood. Though, Yuuri swore that he’d seen Iceheart use that same quality to make his boots high heels instead of ice skates.

In short, he was beautiful and heroic and Yuuri had a massive crush on him. His dream was to fight at Iceheart’s side, or at least be even half the hero the Russian was.

He was jolted out of his thoughts when his text notification went off. Blushing furiously, Yuuri unlocked his phone. He couldn't believe he got so side-tracked that his phone locked itself.

_Yuuri, did I kill you with this idea?_

_If I did, I’m 100% not sorry._

Yuuri shook his head ruefully. Still, as he was typing out a response, a thought occurred to him. He frowned a little and deleted his original text to send something else instead.

_Phichit._

_Give it to me straight._

_Are we totally, 100% sure we’re going through with  
whatever crazy project the IHA wants us to do?_

Of all the people he could ask, Phichit was the only one he trusted to get a good feel for this. He’d go to support his best friend, and, okay, _maybe_ to meet Iceheart in person. However, if the other man thought that this was a shady or bad deal, then he wanted no part of it, either.

 _I think it couldn’t hurt to listen to what they_  
want to try. They didn't give us a whole lot to go on,  
you know?

_If it sounds bad after we meet up, I doubt we’ll be  
the only ones bouncing from that deal._

_Guess we’ll see what happens, right?_

Yuuri couldn’t help a small smile. At least his friend was thinking along the same lines he was. It sounded pretty shady, but his friend was right that they could at least hear out the proposal.

_Okay. Should we have a code word for if  
it’s a good or bad deal?_

_Poodle for get out and hamster for all in._

He laughed and the tension fell away from his shoulders, if only for the time being.

_Okay but if anyone asks about which  
one is better, code word or not I gotta be honest._

_Poodles are best._

_YOU TAKE THAT BACK, HEATHEN_

From there, it devolved into playful banter between the two of them. It was familiar, easy, and very much a comfort that Yuuri needed. After a while, he bid his friend good night and went to bed.

It was going to be a long week before leaving for Switzerland.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Phichit Chulanont**  
>  Hero Name: Snapshot  
> Quirk: Photo Realism  
> Quirk Description: A power that allows the hero to bring an aspect of a picture to life in the real world. As long as there's a picture of it that exists nearby, this quirk allows them to conjure and dismiss it at will.


	2. Yuuri

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yuuri meets with Minako, and then he's on his way to Switzerland. Little does he know that this will be the start of a new chapter in hero history.

Yuuri slowly woke up that next morning and almost convinced himself that the emails he got last night were all a dream. After all, why would _he_ be the one that Japan would send as their representative in a world organization of heroes? Surely there was someone else that was far more qualified than he was. However, when he put on his glasses and got onto his computer to check his emails again, there they were. Nothing came in last night that said they’d made a mistake, either.

He ran a hand down his face, took a deep breath, and opened up the PDF. Like the email said, it had his plane ticket and itinerary. Yuuri squinted a little as he read the destination. It looked like he was going to Bern, Switzerland with no layover. That wasn't a typical flight, especially out of Japan, so these people must’ve had him on their radar for quite a while. Or, at least, they had this idea in the works for quite a while.

With a soft sigh, the dark-haired man took a look at the itinerary next. It looked like the first day there was just a time to rest and get settled in their hotel rooms. He was also going to be sharing with someone else, another hero, but they didn’t list his roommate’s name. Yuuri desperately hoped that it was Phichit or someone he could be comfortable with. After that, though, they would have breakfast and then take a bus to the conference hall. They were expected to wear something formal, but no hero outfits and no masks. It seemed that the meeting was going to be an all-day affair, and lunch would be catered. Dinner would paid for by the IHA, and they were free to choose wherever they wanted to go and see the sights, apparently.

Yuuri frowned, unsure of what to make of that. He was expecting a bit more than what he got, honestly. Then again, if this was as confidential as the emails implied….

He shook his head. He’d have to drop a line with Minako and get her opinion on it when he visited her today.

Yuuri got out of his seat and stretched before doing his morning routine and dressing in casual clothes. After a moment of debate, he decided to jog all the way to Minako’s ballet studio. It'd be a good substitute for his normal route, especially if he jogged the way back home, too.

“Minako! Are you in?” he called out as he walked inside the studio. Yuuri was fairly certain that she didn’t have class this morning.

“In the back! One sec,” came the reply. The black-haired man winced as he heard a sudden crash and enough cursing to make a sailor blush. Eventually, his former ballet instructor came out into the studio area with a wide grin. She was in a workout outfit and wore her long hair in a high ponytail today. Her sharp, light brown eyes definitely took in all the injuries Yuuri got last night, but, really, he doubted he could’ve hidden those even if he wanted to.

“Yuuri! What brings you here smelling like garbage?”

He rolled his eyes in good-nature before reaching into his pocket and taking out the small vial.

“Two things, and this is one of them,” he said with a small smile. Minako took it out of his hand carefully as he continued, “Found that on a villain last night.”

Yuuri then gave her a brief explanation of what happened in the fight against the sentient sewer slime. She listened without comment, dividing her attention between his face and the vial. When he was finished, Minako let out a low whistle.

“Never heard of a quirk user that could do _that._ Normally, people with that quirk can’t actually digest matter like that. They just…suffocate them or something.” She put the vial in her pocket before nodding. “I’ll get this over to some people I know. Let’s see if we can’t crack this mystery substance.”

He couldn’t help letting out a sigh of relief. That was one worry taken care of. Yuuri never asked about her contacts, but she always came through for him faster and with more details than the local police.

“So,” Minako said as she waved for Yuuri to come back to the ‘office’ part of her studio, “What’s the second thing you needed to talk about?”

Her office was a small room packed with filing cabinets at the back of the room behind her desk. The front part of the room had low bookshelves crammed with various books on dance, and her trophies and awards were proudly displayed on top or on the wall. Minako’s desk was full of papers, leaving barely enough room for her laptop, keyboard, and mouse. She moved to sit in her computer chair and gestured for Yuuri to take the couch in front of her desk.

“Well…I got a couple of emails last night, and I wanted your opinion on them,” Yuuri confessed as he sat down gingerly on the edge of the couch. He then told her about what was on the emails, even bringing them up on his phone for her to take a look at.

When he was finished, Minako was grinning madly at him. There was a glint in her eye that hinted at pride, but Yuuri got the sense that something was also making her very curious.

“Congrats, Yuuri! This is a well-deserved honor for you!” she told him. The black-haired hero couldn’t help blushing a little at her praise, though they both knew that he disagreed on that front.

“Th-thanks, I guess,” he mumbled.

“What’s interesting to _me,_ though, is the fact that I never even got wind of this,” Minako added, looking thoughtful. “I mean, if they’re inviting the number one hero in every country, that’s a pretty big and bold move. Somebody would’ve noticed and blabbed, but there’s been nothing. Whatever’s going on, it’s big and exceptionally quiet.”

She eyed Yuuri critically for a moment, like she was searching for something in his posture. Honestly, he was surprised that Minako hadn’t heard anything about it. His former teacher had eyes and ears everywhere. That indicated to him that this was either going to be a huge step forward or highly sinister.

“It’s also interesting when it's the International Heroes Alliance being the project leader in this. They only keep tabs on the quirks and identities of heroes, as well as their locations. They’re basically just a huge archive of hero info, aren’t they?”

Yuuri frowned at that.

“Yeah, at least, that’s what I thought, too,” he replied. “They’ve also got a law firm that helps heroes who accidentally cause international incidents while in a foreign country.”

Fortunately, his quirk made it a lot harder for him to need to use _those_ resources. It wasn’t inherently destructive like most other quirks heroes had. Phichit, on the other hand, had needed that service twice as far as Yuuri knew.

Minako hummed in thought. Her eyes trailed back over to her computer screen in contemplation. Eventually, she shrugged and gave him a grin.

“Well, whatever you decide after seeing what they’re putting on the table, just know that all of Japan’s behind you! If you think it’s good or bad for yourself and your country, you’ll have the nation’s support, it looks like.”

And wasn’t _that_ a frightening prospect?

——

The week past by in a blur for Yuuri after that. He spent most of that time packing and coordinating with the local heroes that the JHF graciously assigned to cover his hometown while he was away. The day he was leaving, he gave a final prayer to the shrine of his beloved dog, Vicchan. He really, truly hoped that he could do Japan proud, but, most importantly, he hoped he could make his family proud.

Yuuri tried his best to not let his anxiety get to him on the way to the airport. He fidgeted in his seat, trying not to gnaw his bottom lip raw. The shock of being selected as Japan’s representing hero with no option to refuse was wearing off. His brain unhelpfully brought to the forefront all the ways he could mess up in Bern and during the conference, especially when there would be so many heroes there, too.

Finally, though, he reached the airport. Yuuri grabbed his luggage and let out a relieved sigh when he saw Phichit waiting for him. They checked in their baggage and had enough time to purchase a quick snack for when they were on the plane. After getting through security just fine, all they had to do was wait in the seats at their assigned terminal. In an effort to help keep Yuuri from spiraling, Phichit talked his ear off about how their stream had gone viral and what their favorite heroes had been doing on social media. The most interesting thing that happened was, apparently, a Twitter war between Moodlight and Black Cat over who had the cutest pet cat. It only got derailed when someone asked for Iceheart’s opinion on the subject, who only responded that his beloved dog, Makkachin, was obviously the best cat _and_ dog.

By the time they were able to board, Yuuri was feeling a bit more relaxed about it all. He was at least relaxed enough to nap for the majority of the flight while Phichit stayed up to watch a movie. It was as they were landing in Bern that he started getting a weird case of antsy and jet lagged. They arrived in the evening, which meant that Yuuri would only have to stay awake for only a few hours. He could handle that. Maybe. Possibly. Hopefully.

After going through customs and picking up their luggage, the pair were picked up in a car by someone who looked official. She helped them get their suitcases into the trunk and their carry-on bags tucked safely away, which put them both at ease a little. She introduced herself as Marie and had a kind, gentle smile. As they drove off to the hotel they would be staying at, Marie also told them that she would be not just their driver, but the driver for their roommates, too. Despite Phichit’s attempts to get more information about their roommates, she managed to keep a tight lid on any details about them. Yuuri gave up paying attention after a point and just enjoyed the scenery. He was kind of excited, despite his anxiety. This was the first time he’d ever been to Switzerland, so he hoped he really could enjoy the sights tonight and tomorrow. Who knew how long he would be staying here, after all?

By the time they reached the hotel, the Japanese hero felt like he was getting his second wind. Again, Marie helped them with their baggage.

“I hope you both have fun in Bern when you can,” she told them with a grin before getting back into the car and driving off. The two heroes glanced at each other and then head inside to check in.

Their check-in was done by a very flustered man in his mid-to-late 20’s. He told the two of them that their roommates were already checked in, and reminded them of when check out would be. They thanked him as they headed towards the elevator. Phichit was looking at their room numbers.

“Oh, nice! I’m on the floor above yours! I’ll put my stuff away and come down to get you.” His friend grinned as he added, “And maybe I’ll get lucky enough to meet your roommate, too!”

“Only if I get to meet yours,” Yuuri answered with a somewhat tired smile. “I guess it’d be rude if we didn’t invite them to join us for dinner, huh?”

“Heck yes!”

The elevator dinged as they reached the fourth floor, where Yuuri was staying. He grabbed his stuff and gave a wave to Phichit before looking at the signs for which side his room would be on. Trepidation knotted up his stomach as he got closer to his assigned room. He couldn’t even help himself when he paused in front of the door to it. With hesitation, Yuuri swiped the card and opened the door, unsure of what he’d find.

Inside, there were two twin-sized beds and the neutral, yet tasteful, furniture most ritzy hotels seemed to share in common all over the world. He noticed that the bed on the right seemed to be claimed already, if the purple suitcase resting against the foot of the bed was any indication. The sound of a shower going told him that his roommate was probably using it. God, he hoped it was his roommate and not someone who decided to break in to use a hotel shower.

Yuuri headed over to the left bed and started unpacking some of his carry-on essentials. He pulled out his charger for his phone and one for his Switch, though it took him some time to find where he put the adapter for them. It was only when he was bringing out his shampoo and toothbrush that his roommate made an appearance. He hadn't noticed the shower turning off or anything until someone spoke up.

“Hello! I’m guessing you’ll be my roommate here?”

The voice was a man’s. It was light, almost playful, and there was a distinctly Russian accent to the English words. Yuuri froze, heart in his mouth, as he slowly turned to see what his ears couldn’t possibly be telling him.

Nope, turned out that his eyes were giving him the same conclusion. Maybe he needed to get a new prescription for his lenses. Yuuri was sure that he even squeaked a little.

Standing right there, hair still a bit damp and clothes clinging to his body more than normal, was Iceheart. Or, well, not _Iceheart,_ but—

“It’s nice to meet you! I’m Viktor Nikiforov, but you can call me Viktor,” Viktor said with a friendly smile.

Yuuri could only stare for a moment before remembering his manners. He couldn’t stop himself from blushing.

“Um…I’m…I’m Yuuri Katsuki. It’s nice to meet you, too,” he replied, a little on the quiet side.

To his amazement, Viktor seemed like he recognized his name. He put a finger over his lips as he thought, blue eyes seeming to pierce right through him.

“Yuuri Katsuki,” the Russian man repeated, almost like he was savoring the name or trying to place where he’d heard it. Then, suddenly, he grinned with delight. “Oh! Figure skating! You used to be Japan’s ace during junior’s, right?”

Of all the things to be recognized for, Yuuri wasn’t expecting that. His eyes widened in shock.

“Y-yeah, but I quit before debuting in senior’s.” He ran a hand through his hair sheepishly. “I, um, it was after you retired. The judges were getting too heavily biased towards ice and water quirks, so…didn’t see much point in going for more than that.”

That wasn't the whole reason, of course, but it made it easier to let it go. Yuuri simply didn't want to let him know that it was really because of the circumstances around _Viktor’s_ retirement. Still, it seemed like the other man could empathize with that.

“Ah, yes, I never agreed with that ruling,” Viktor said, moving to take a seat at the edge of his bed. “Especially when you skated so beautifully without an ice quirk! The skating world suffered a terrible loss when you had to retire because of that, I’m sure.”

Never, ever, in a million years would Yuuri think that Viktor Nikiforov, aka _Iceheart,_ would know him because of his figure skating. Not only that, but…it…sounded like he was a fan? Of _his_ skating? This had to be a dream. It couldn't possibly be real life.

“I suppose I can’t complain, though, if the hero world now gets to have you,” the other man continued, heedless of earth shattering all these revelations were.

“O-oh, um, yeah, I guess?” _Stellar conversation skills, Katsuki._ Steeling his courage, Yuuri elaborated, “I go by Azure Wolf on the job.”

Viktor’s eyes widened at that. He opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but then there was knocking on their door. They both turned their heads to look at it, especially when a familiar voice shouted from behind it.

“Yuuuuuuriiiiiii!” Phichit called. “Let me in so I can meet your roommate!”

Yuuri wasn’t sure whether he was grateful for the interruption or not. He gave Viktor a quick apology before going to answer the door. Apparently, the look on his face was enough to give his best friend pause. It also brought to light that there was a man right behind him, too. His eyes widened, recognizing that the blond man with green eyes was none other than Christophe Giacometti, also known as Moodlight.

What the _hell_ was going on in Yuuri’s life that he was meeting another hero nearly as famous and popular as Iceheart?

He barely managed to shake himself out of his daze as he stepped aside, holding open the door for the two to come into the room. Phichit looked at him with a bit of concern as he walked in. The Thai hero almost said something, until he saw _why_ Yuuri was speechless.

“Ohmygod!” Phichit shouted as Yuuri closed the door on the insanity that was about to go on in this room. “We are _so_ going to have a group pic together! _The_ Viktor and _the_ Christophe are our roomies?!”

“Phichit, please,” Yuuri playfully admonished with a small smile. He went to sit down on his bed and Phichit, bless him, joined him there. Christophe joined Viktor, though it was by dramatically draping himself on the silver-haired hero.

“I don’t know which of us is luckier, Viktor, you or I. You get Azure Wolf all for yourself, and I’ve got Snapshot,” Christophe remarked, throwing a wink their way. Viktor seemed used to it, not even getting flustered at the _tone_ the blond man used when he talked about Yuuri.

“Yuuri’s probably the lucky one for not having to deal with you for a roommate, Chris,” Viktor replied with a smile as he gently nudged the Swiss hero off of him. Christophe pouted at that. “Let’s get introductions out of the way, then, _da?_ ”

“Me first!” Phichit cried out as he raised his hand like he was in a classroom. Yuuri had to stifle a laugh. “I’m Phichit Chulanont, also known as Snapshot!”

“I’m Yuuri Katsuki and my hero name is Azure Wolf.”

“Viktor Nikiforov, or probably far better known as Iceheart.”

“And the best for last. I’m Christophe Giacometti, AKA Moodlight, but you beauties can call me Chris.” He even threw in another wink for good measure.

“How scandalous! What does your boyfriend say about that?” Phichit asked teasingly. All of a sudden, Yuuri had a feeling that the worst thing for the world was a friendship between these two men.

“Fortunately, he’s not the jealous type, and bless him for that,” the blond replied, looking a little fond for a moment.

“Goodness, yes, otherwise I’d be the first to be confronted by such a monster!” Viktor cheerfully added. “If you think he’s shameless _now,_ you should’ve been there for when he didn’t have Masumi in his life.”

Yuuri privately thought that a mellower Chris was about all he could handle right now. Still, it was kind of heartwarming to see how Viktor and Chris were such close friends. The former had been looking…lonely, or maybe sad, in some of his current photos, but he didn't know the man well enough to say. It just felt like this was perhaps the most genuinely warm smile he’d ever seen on Viktor in years.

Perhaps that was what made him comfortable enough to ask.

“Phichit and I were going to get dinner at one of the restaurants here. Would you like to join us?”

“Ahhh, I’d love to take you lovely young men to some of the _best_ Switzerland has to offer!” Chris replied cheerfully.

“Sounds fun. I haven't had Swiss food in years, now,” Viktor added, looking just as excited about the prospect.

The four talked about what they were in the mood for as they left the hotel. They eventually decided on a family owned restaurant that served some traditional Swiss food that was about a 10 minute walk away. Their conversation at the table started with commenting about Phichit’s success in streaming his, and sometimes Yuuri’s, heroics. Chris and Viktor both felt that the most recent one was perhaps the most intriguing, especially when the duo quietly told them about what happened after the stream. Neither of them had heard of an amorphous quirk that could _digest_ people.

Viktor was the one who moved them off of the heavy topic by talking about the Twitter war earlier that day between Chris and Black Cat. Apparently, the former came after him with a vengeance after that, which he thought was cute.

“It was like an angry kitten attacking my feet,” he'd said with a grin.

In return, Yuuri decided to tease Phichit a little by telling them how his friend’s quirk caused an international incident. In a photo art gallery in America, the Thai hero had used a picture of an African elephant to bring said elephant to life…and at its natural size and weight. All of that to stop a thief from stealing the masterpiece of the exhibit. It was enough to have the IHA involved to take over his case.

“And that was only the first one,” Yuuri told them with a shake of his head. “He got into another one the year after.”

“Oh my god, if you tell them about _that_ one, I’m disowning you as my best friend!” Phichit threatened in mock scandalized tones.

All in all, it was a lovely night, and Yuuri felt a bit more comfortable with the rooming situation than he’d been at first. He even almost forgot about why they were even _in_ Bern in the first place. It really felt like the four of them had been friends for years.

He kind of wished it would last forever. The black-haired man carried that wish in his heart on their way back to the hotel and as he fell asleep in a foreign bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Viktor Nikiforov**  
>  Hero: Iceheart  
> Quirk: Ice Storm  
> Quirk Description: Heroes with this quirk have a unique ability to control and create ice and lightning. On a grand scale, this could mean creating a blizzard or lightning storm. Smaller scale usage includes creating shapes with ice and / or lightning. Shapes can range in size from snowflakes and sparks to icicles and birds of lightning. The only limit is the user's imagination.
> 
>  **Christophe Giacometti**  
>  Hero: Moodlight  
> Quirk: Light Manipulation  
> Quirk Description: Heroes with this quirk are able to bend light waves to their will. This can range from changing color to focusing light like a laser. The downside is, the presence of light is necessary in order for this quirk to work. It works with either natural or artificial light.


End file.
